Machines that want to kill us

November 26, 2012

ANDY ROGERS/SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

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Science fiction has long contemplated the risk that our increasingly capable computers and robots could one day decide they'd be better off without us, or using us as their energy source. Now, philosophers and scientists at Britain's Cambridge University have proposed giving the question serious thought with a new Center for the Study of Existential Risk."It tends to be regarded as a flaky concern, but given that we don't know how serious the risks are, that we don't know the time scale, dismissing the concerns is dangerous," Cambridge philosophy professor Huw Price told the Associated Press.Here's a gallery of notable sci-fi examples of machines turning on humanity, starting with the "Terminator" movies, in which the Skynet computer system
becomes self aware and, after operators try to shut it down, decides to
take out humanity. Warning: This gallery is full of spoilers.

ANDY ROGERS/SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

1of15

Science fiction has long contemplated the risk that our increasingly capable computers and robots could one day decide they'd be better off without us, or using us as their energy source. Now, philosophers and scientists at Britain's Cambridge University have proposed giving the question serious thought with a new Center for the Study of Existential Risk."It tends to be regarded as a flaky concern, but given that we don't know how serious the risks are, that we don't know the time scale, dismissing the concerns is dangerous," Cambridge philosophy professor Huw Price told the Associated Press.Here's a gallery of notable sci-fi examples of machines turning on humanity, starting with the "Terminator" movies, in which the Skynet computer system
becomes self aware and, after operators try to shut it down, decides to
take out humanity. Warning: This gallery is full of spoilers.